‘Green’ leaders gather for Winnebago County Energy Expo

ROCKFORD — Many of the Rock River Valley’s “green” technology leaders gathered Friday at Klehm Arboretum to showcase sustainable and energy efficient strategies.

Approximately 250-300 people attended the first ever Winnebago County Renewable Energy Expo, which celebrated what has been done and is being done with environmentally friendly technology in the Rockford area. The expo featured exhibits from 30 companies and organizations, including Danfoss; Morse Electric; BioVantage; Rock Wind, LLC; Rockford Park District and Rock River Water Reclamation District, to name a few.

“We’re trying to let the public know that you drive by all these renewable energy efficiency products every day and you don’t notice them. You use the energy they’re creating every day and you don’t notice them,” said Chet Kolodziej, executive director of Freedom Field, Winnebago County’s showcase for alternative energy options.

Kolodziej estimates about $35 million to $40 million has been invested in energy efficient and renewable projects around Winnebago and Boone counties.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with industry experts and local businesses that use the technology, learn about renewable energy options and how they can be applied in the real world.

Solar panels and wind turbines are a tough sell right now because the cost of energy is so low in our area, said Rob Bauer, president of Rockford Renewable Energy. The company sells, installs and services small wind turbines and solar energy systems. He said it can be difficult to determine a return on investment because you can’t predict how energy costs may change in the future.

Bauer says customers are typically people who want to be environmentally friendly or live in places where it is more expensive to run a line from ComEd, he said.

“We’re fortunate in this area to have such low energy costs and that’s what makes it a hard sell, but for the right person it makes sense,” Bauer said.

Mike and Kathy Crandall have embraced environmentally friendly technology in their home northwest of Rockford. The couple were among 36 people, businesses and organizations honored Friday for their commitment to green practices.

The Crandalls commitment to renewable practices started 32 years ago when they built a low-energy envelope house. Since then, they’ve installed a geothermal system to heat and cool the house, a metal roof made from mostly recycled material and have 48 solar panels on their nearly 8-acre property. Mike is an engineer for Schneider Electric, and Kathy is a recently retired Winnebago teacher. They also garden, can home-grown foods, compost and keep bees.

“We’re pretty close to being net-zero,” on energy costs, Mike Crandall said.